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4.0 out of 5 stars St. John (F. Kennedy), August 5, 2011
By David W. Knolls (Orlando, FL United States) - See all my reviewsThis review is from: The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence (Hardcover)
"My brother need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life...". Ted Kennedy delivered these words at the funeral of his brother, RFK, in 1968. As I read this book, I was continually reminded of this line and its irony given how the author persistently idealizes JFK throughout "The Kennedy Detail".
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the book. I've read a lot about JFK and the Kennedys and glimpsing the events surrounding JFK's assassination from the perspective of the secret service agents is unique and intriguing. That said, the picture painted by the author of a perfect, saint-like JFK (loyal and devoted husband, doting father, considerate "boss") calls into question the accuracy of other events.
On one side of the coin, you have a white-washed JFK. On the other, you have LBJ. LBJ is depicted, warts and all, as a crass, vulgar ogre whose only redeeming quality is his concern for Jackie Kennedy in the immediate aftermath of the assassination. Other than that brief period, his vile behavior is no-holds-barred and pretty consistent with other sources. So why treat one president with rose-colored glasses and the other with a clear lens?
The President's Detail is a good read if you can suspend reality on the commonly-depicted JFK and accept him as a more idealistic character. More Mother Theresa, less, well, "JFK as we've come to know him". Once you get over that initial shock, sit back and take in the riveting events of November 1963 from those who had a front-row seat to the tragedy.
Monday, August 8, 2011
More people skeptical about "The Kennedy Detail"
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